Cleaning Lady
by triggerspec
Summary: What does Orochimaru do with people who can't receive the Curse Seal? He makes them clean his bases... A small girl recruited with the most feared of the Sound Five gets her chance to prove herself. Will love triumph bitterness? Will she save him?
1. Messy Sound Five

This is a small change of pace for me. No Naruto or Akatsuki... feels... strange. Heh. Well here is another story, this one has no real time line set up to update but it defiantly won't be like weeks at a time. Like my others it'll be updated at least once a week :) This is another 3rd person story, I can't help but to write em like this now. Well I hope you enjoy it ! I love it ! Of course I love all my stories, but that doesn't matter!  
leave some love? :D  
"speech"  
_thoughts  
_

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^separators how a change in perspective, or a skip of time. I think it's easy enough to tell the difference if anyone gets confused let me know and I'll change it.  
**Disclaimer**: I do not own the Naruto series or anything to do with it such as characters, plot or settings.  
**Claimer**: I do own Rai, her past and Bloodline.

_

* * *

This is stupid; no this has gone way beyond stupid. This is more unbelievably ridiculous! _A smaller girl, about 5'3'' scowled to herself as her thoughts went through her mind. _I'm a bloody great ninja! And here I am, WASHING FLOORS! _Her pale yellow coloured eye twitched in annoyance. If somebody passing by saw her, they would assume her head would just blow, forming a volcanic cloud. Her nails began to cut into the disgusting, porous, sad excuse of a cleaning utensil that was in her hand. She was on her hands and knees, scrubbing the dungeon like floor of Orochimaru's base. She was recruited by Orochimaru, 6 years ago. She was much praised and used fairly often for missions and other commands that Orochimaru had for her. That was until he formed his precious Sound Five. Just because she was unable to obtain the Curse Seal.

"Stupid kiss ass, no good, ball-less sacs of-"

"Rai!"

Her head of long dark green hair sprung up, at the sound of a scolding voice. She wasn't aware she was talking out loud. A man with glasses stared down at her.

"Sakon and Tayuya have demolished the 3rd hallway. You have been instructed to go fix it up."

The sponge in her hand literally broke itself into two pieces from the pressure of her grip. She bowed her head letting all the repressed air in her lungs out in a quiet, long breath. _I hate my life..._ The silver haired medic just stared down at the flustered girl. His eyes were indifferent and cold. His thoughts were different. _I see no need for her to be wasted away like this. I'm sure if we put more effort into her she could become useful. At least for my experiments. Maybe I should talk to Orochimaru-sama. _The said girl; Rai, pushed herself up, tossing the pieces of useless material into the grey and murky water with unfriendly coloured bubbles.

"Yes Kabuto sir."

He could hear the anger, the annoyance, and the much lack of respect in her voice. He also noticed the fact she refused to look at him. The girl picked up the bucket and walked away, leaving the medic to stand there alone. His face twitched into a smirk as he chuckled to himself. _The feisty ones always surprise me the most._

* * *

Rai walked through the stoned walls with a very soundless yet quick pace. As she turned her 5th corner the sight before her made her want to break down and cry.

"Holy sweet mother of the shiny fucking pearl..."

There was debris everywhere, and by everywhere I mean the whole 55 feet of the 65 foot hallway was covered in about a 1 foot amount of brick, dust and wood. The walls were broken down, pieces of the rooms were torn out and thrown into the hall way. Let's just say, demolished was a friendly description of the hallway. _What in heaven's name could they have been fighting over to create this... this... _So many colourful words were going through her mind; she couldn't pick which ones to use right about now.

"I should go off myself... Make the pricks clean it themselves."

Her words were quiet and dark, not knowing her, you would think she was actually suicidal but, really, she just had a very dark outlook on things and lively exaggerations were her specialities.

"Tsh. Useless fucking female."

Half of the girl's body twitched at the comment, and she turned her head to see a very large muscular man walking by her with his hands in his pockets. He was nothing more than a pathetic pawn that was lucky enough to survive this long. Pawns didn't last long in this place; they were usually sent out on useless missions or just killed in experiments. The number 2 reason for most deaths, number 1 being Kabuto's experiments, was confidence. For some reason, the methods Orochimaru uses to recruit ninja, seem to cause an over load of ego. Most men just ran around thinking they were unstoppable because Lord Orochimaru recruited them and they survived the blood battle of the caged ninja.  
When the girl could feel her joints tightening, her muscles tensing she just turned away and closed her eyes. _He's just a meat head. Do not kill him. His IQ is lower than the size of his small penis. Do not kill him. He is worthless scum not worth the time. Relax. Breathe. _With her own little pep talk, she took deep breaths, and calmed down. Opening her eyes the annoyance and fury toward the Sound Five once again sprung into her being. She let out a cry as she dropped to her knees.

"How did it end like this? Why is life so cruel?"

Her hands uncaringly clawed down her own face, not actually leaving wounds, as she had a small mental breakdown for the 3rd time today.

"There's no place like home... There's no place like home... There's no place like home..."

She sighed as she pushed herself up once again. _I might as well take the easy way out. _The girl focused with a seal on her hands, after 3 minutes of meditation she crouched down and slammed her hand to the ground. It took a couple seconds before the rubble, the debris, the large mess in general began to sizzle and hiss. The piles of debris looked as if it was a lake being disturbed from something swimming under it's surface. The mess began to disappear as if it melted into the ground. If you looked close enough you could see the chunks being eaten away. In a matter of 20 minutes later, the girl laid on the ground unconscious, and everything was clean except for the missing pieces of the walls. The floor had no evidence what so ever of acid or a strong heat had been nearby, just a clear spotless floor.  
A strange looking man was strolling by 5 minutes later to see the strange scene. He crossed one set of arms while the other sat on his hip and scratched his head. _I swear last time I walked by here the hallway was taken down. Also, what the hell is Rai-chan doing sleeping in the middle of the damn floor? _He walked over and crouched down next to the small girl. She looked sick, sunken, and was covered in sweat. He could hear the strange rhythm of her breathing. _What is wrong with you? _The man with multiple arms picked her up and brushed the hair sticking to her perspiring face. He took her to her small dark room, which was the exact same as everybody's room. A bed and a dresser with a small bathroom attached. He set her on the bed and strolled to the bathroom to get a wet cloth which he set on her forehead before leaving the room. His eyes were scrunched together in a troubled manner. Next to Orochimaru, Kidomaru was the nicest to the small girl.

* * *

"Orochimaru-sama."

The medic bowed on one knee to the golden eyed man before him. He sat in a large chair in a very large room filled with pillars, in the middle of the overly large base. The uncanny man had a small smirk playing on his lips, his eyes shining with mischievous thoughts.

"What would you like Kabuto?"

"I would like permission to use and train Rai-chan once again," the medic announced, bowing his head, only to lift it again to examine the older man, "Also I would like to use the Sound Five to help with the training."

"Hmm..."

The older man's lips pulled up a little more, making his smirk more into a devious grin. Footsteps could be heard from behind the large chair and a younger man with beads around his neck walked up into view.

"I will assist you Kabuto-kun."

Orochimaru chuckled, putting his hand over half his face as his grin grew larger.

"Heh, alright than. Permission granted Kabuto. Dismissed."

Kabuto stood up straight, pushing his glasses up with his middle finger. _Finally, this girl could __be extremely useful for future experiments. _He turned to walk away, his eerie grin catching the wrong lighting from the torches, causing him to have the image of a nightmare itself. Dark, cold and ideas filled with haunting images.  
He walked out of the girl's room, she continued to lay unconscious. Why, the medic couldn't care, he got what he needed, 3 viles of her own blood. He walked down the hall, heading toward his lab to do a series of simple tests. _If I can recall, when Orochimaru-sama recruited her it was due to the fact she was the only child in her village that didn't die. He watched the venom for the Curse Seal seep right out of the wound. _The man pushed open the doors, ignoring the moaning of dying experiments that have failed. Screaming could be heard from another room attached to the lab, also going unheard to the medic. The moans, cries, and screaming, they were just a regular sound to him, like birds singing in a forest.  
He set the viles in a test tube holder, keeping one in his hand. He took and eye dropped and sucked out some of the red liquid in the tube, setting it in a small dish. Next he pulled out a small glass container with some strange yellow liquid. It was just a ordinary virus, similar to the cold or flu. With a new syringe he inserted the virus into the large drop of blood. At first nothing happened, after about 5 minutes, the virus should be well into the blood affecting it. He took the dish and inserted it into a slot of a large televised machine. Clicking some buttons the screen blinked on, showing the blood molecules unharmed and no virus to be found.

"Hm."

_There is no way; even with my regeneration skills could that virus be removed from every single blood cell. _He took out the dish and set into a sink of some sort of bubbling substance. These small labs went on for many, many hours. He would gradually increase the amount of virus and the strength of the virus to the new droplets of blood. By the end he used to fastest, strongest most inhumane virus he could think of creating at the moment and decided to use the last of the 3rd vile of blood. He poured it into a beaker and then carefully poured the poisonous virus into the blood. Strange hissing sounds could be heard, smoke even began to flow out of the beaker. He smirked. _Finally, I have found something that can penetrate her blood cells._  
All of the other substances he tried either disappeared with no trace or just repelled from the cells of the small girl. It was like nothing he's ever seen. It only took a couple more seconds before his composer was lost and his eyes were wide open. The smoke was not coming from the blood cells being attacked. It was the blood cells attacking the virus which was eating away at the beaker itself. _This substance can eat through glass and yet, cannot even slightly merge with her blood. What the hell is this girl? _In frustration he took the last drops of the blood that he could salvage from the viles and put it in on a dish inside the strange machine. A few switches pulled, a couple buttons pushed and the blood cells were magnetized much closer than any regular scientist could manage. Even through his frustration his lips couldn't help but twitch at the skill of his scientific and medical field.  
The smirk soon dropped as his eyes squinted at the machine. Small, and by small I mean that there is no scientific term to describe the lack of size these dots were. Black, purple, blue, green, possibly yellow. He could see the strange dots speeding around in a frenzy around her blood cells. He couldn't be sure if they were colours or if his eyes or the machine was playing tricks with his mind but, he knew for sure, there was something crawling inside her cells. _This is spectacular. _He rushed out of his lab needing more blood.  
To his misfortune though, the female was now awake and in her shower but, his scientific needs could not wait. He slammed the door open causing the girl to scream in fear and slip, falling roughly to the bottom of the tub. Kabuto carelessly ripped the curtains opened, not caring about the protests of the girl or the water that was soaking his clothes. _Heh, decent._ He continued his invaion.

"I need more of your blood. 4 viles this time."

Rai looked panicked, her face would be white as a ghost except she was completely naked causing her cheeks to flush a deep read. She struggled and squirmed trying to understand what was going on.

"Kabuto-kun! What the hell are you doing? Get off of me and get the hell out! Don't! Stop!"

Tears began to flow as her fear got the worst of her, her pleas hardly made sense now; she just shouted and pleaded for Kabuto to stop. His face was scrunched in annoyance and impatience, his eyes narrowed in anger. _Stupid female just stop moving!_ With that thought his got an idea, he pulled back his hand and struck her in the back of the neck. Her eyes widen and her body went limp. Rai once again fell into unconsciousness. Kabuto sighed, shutting the water off. He grabbed a towel, his mind finally coming out of his haze. He shook his head as he wrapped the large fluffy towel around the poor girl. She looked terrible, he never really noticed until now. He scowled to himself, not really believing that he had just done, ashamed even. But, it needed to be done, this girl was an unfinished puzzle and missing pieces don't sit well with him.  
As he carried her down the halls, making his way back to his lab, he examined the girl more. Her skin was awfully pale, which wasn't surprising since she never left the base but, her eyes were very dark, puffy and black as if she hasn't slept in days, possibly even weeks. She was very light, she hasn't eaten in days it seems either. He was surprised she was even still alive at how weak she looked. _I might even be able to do anything with her in this fragile state._ He sighed in annoyance. _Stupid girl, why would you do this to yourself?_  
He remembered her from a few years ago when she was still a working pawn for Orochimaru. She was vibrant, energized and well nourished, a prideful girl, surprising really because her ninjutsu was only Genin level. She was unable to execute any nature based jutsu. He even tried a test for her element. Nothing. He would find out her true powers, cause no matter what kind of ninja you are, they always had a unique ability. _You're an interesting puzzle Rai-chan._


	2. Breakthrough

alrighty after a cpl of weeks of completely forgetting about this fic XD i managed to realize i did put it up :P sorry for those who have read it and wanted to continue! have no fear the second chapter is up once again. ill admit this is more a whim like story, i had no thought process go through it except that it was meant to be a sakon/ukon fic.. but that idea went FLYING out the window :P well anyways here it is enjoy :)  
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto the characters or any other similarities.  
Claimer: I do own Rai, her father and her special abilities(bloodline)

_thoughts  
_memories  
"speech."

* * *

Rai jolted awake; when her eyes focused she could see a horrific scene. She was in the middle of Kabuto's lab, beakers, tubes, utensils and strange fluids and gasses in containers. The eerie light of a very large machine made an uncanny shadow over everything in the room. _What is going on? Why am I here?_ She heard an annoyed sound come from the mad scientist across the room. He threw another dish into the bubbling sink. _I don't understand it! Even nutrition the blood needs will not be accepted! If that is the case the girl should be dead by now._ The medic growled in frustration, getting more blood with more strange liquids, mixing, and trying different methods of insertion.  
The small girl, hopped off the table bed she was laid out on. She noticed how she was only wrapped in a large bath towel; this caused her cheeks to flush a light pink. She walked over as quiet as possible to see what Kabuto was doing. Her body ached horribly and she felt uncontrollably dizzy. _What is he doing?_ She used the lab tables for support but they didn't help much. She fell to the ground on her knees, her gag reflexes kicking in from the spinning room. With lack of fluids in her body, just some stomach vile came up, splashing onto the floor. The sound was horrible as she coughed. Kabuto's head snapped up seeing the girl hunched over on the ground.

"Tsh," he walked over to her, helping her stand once again, "you weren't supposed to move, you have a severe loss of blood."

He walked over picking the dysfunctional girl up once again. Her cheeks went pink.

"It's my doing, but you will not die. But, now that you're awake, can I ask you some questions."

Kabuto walked her to the table she was once sprawled out on, setting her back down, she looked like hell. Her hand rushed to her head as she lay back on the table. She hasn't felt this bad since she got her ass kicked once upon a time when she had done missions.

"Rai-chan, can you hear me?"

She simply nodded her head, regretting that method of answering instantly.

"Rai-chan, is there a reason you haven't eaten or slept in days?"

"I..." the girl just stopped and shrugged her shoulders.

The medic narrowed his eyes, pushing his glasses back on his nose.

"Are you trying to kill yourself Rai-chan?"

The girl turned her head away from the medic, her brows pushed together in anger, her eyes showed sadness, and she bit down on her lip.

"What is your reason to live Kabuto-kun?"

Her voice was quiet, uncaring even. Kabuto looked down at her, confused, but his face emotionless.

"I serve Orochimaru-sama's ambitions, and I need to further my knowledge in the medical and science field."

The girl didn't move, what the medic couldn't see though was the tear that fell from cream coloured eyes.

"Father, why do you fight in these battles?" 

A small girl of the age 9 questioned the larger man dressed in man looked down at the small girl with dark green hair, just like his short spiky hair. He ruffled her hair smiling at her as she giggled. It wasn't the first time she had asked him this.

"It's my purpose in life sweetie. I was born to protect this family, and to... To protect you... my precious daughter."

The girl grinned ear to ear, so proud of her father. She was scared though, her clan was partnered with the Kaguya clan, so they were always being dragged into their blood-lust battles. Her family wasn't really special, more of just a family that used to be royal but many things happened causing their partnership with Kaguya. They were about to attack Kirigakure, and this feeling in the small girls stomach wouldn't cease. 

"Father! Can't you skip this one battle? Please father, I don't want you to go!"

"Rai, sweetie. You know I cannot do that. I have a purpose. I promise I will come back."

"Please father," as if on cue, she turned her face pale, her eyes looked dingy, "I don't feel well father, please stay."

The girl had a skill, a skill to look deathly ill on command, she didn't know why she could, but she noticed it at a young age. It caused a lot of trouble for her father when she was a baby she always looked so sick, nobody could figure out what was wrong with her. Later on, the girl noticed she was doing it subconsciously as well. 

"Rai, please don't do this sweetie, we owe a lot to the Kaguya's. If they need our military power, we will gladly resource them. Plus Kimimaro-sama will be with us. We cannot lose."

The small girl bowed her head, her dark green hair covering her eyes as they began to tear up.

"Be safe father. Please come back,"

The girl almost began to burst into tears as she begged her father for his safety. Her father's heart tore at the sight of his daughter, losing her mother at such a young age and seeing her father leave for battles at days at a time. He crouched down wrapping his large arms around her fragile frame. She sniffled and wiped her eyes to watch her father leave the tiny tent like home. What the girl didn't know was, this would be the last image of her father. Days later she would be introduced to a new family, a family where power is key.

"Do you believe your purpose in life is worth dying for?"

Kabuto could tell by now the girl was crying, he could actually see her body, her face looking sicker and sicker. He was so confused, but he just continued to stare at the girl, unsure of how to answer her question. _What happened to you to make you like this?_

"I'm going to check your vitals and that. You don't look very well."

Kabuto got some utensils to check her temperature and heart rate. Everything was perfect.

"You won't find what you're looking for. I've have doctor after doctor look at me, trying to figure out what's wrong with me. They haven't found anything. I have noticed however, I can control it, but sometimes it happens subconsciously, and I wouldn't notice a difference."

The girl continued to lay there, staring off at the wall. Kabuto sighed, giving up on the depressed girl and going back to his research of the female's blood. As far as he was concerned she was just a normal girl that was recruited with Kimimaro.

"You can return to your room at any time. I have what I needed."

The girl sat up, after being told she looked like shit she focused her chakra on her body, turning herself back into the lightly tanned, clear skinned girl she was. Her proper weight even began to come back. She was 5'3'', 110 pounds. Instead of leaving like she had presumed she walked over to see what he was doing. The scientist was setting certain nutrition's near but not in the blood drops. The strangest thing was that the blood would somehow manage to combine with the needed nutrition, even though it would reject forceful materials.

"What are you doing with so much of my blood Kabuto-kun?"

"I was supposed to be training you then fitting you into experiments but, you looked too sick to manage. So, I decided to start small experiments first, which turned into a strange puzzle."

The girl looked at the strange scribbles on a pad near Kabuto. She picked it up and read some of it over.

"Blood cells eat away at a common ninja poison," she thought for a moment and looked up to question the medic, "Could that have something to do with my jutsu?"

Kabuto pushed his brows together and glanced up at the girl reading his notes. He pushed up his glasses and questioned her.

"What jutsu? I have no record of you being able to use anything above Genin level."

The girl narrowed her eyes at the medic in annoyance. _Jutsus don't make a ninja great jackass._ She nodded her head and looked around the lap. She grabbed a random beaker and walked to a semi clear area of the lab. She's been asleep long enough she would have enough chakra back. She set the glass down and took a step back. She focused her chakra for a short moment before slamming her hand on the ground. Seconds later the beaker began to melt down, soon enough disappearing all together, no trace was left, not even scorch marks on the ground. Exactly like the hallway. She turned her head and could see the slight surprise on the man's face. She never really thought much of her mistakenly found jutsu.

"How long have you been able to do that?"

The girl shrugged.

"Don't know, a couple years. When I was dubbed useless because I couldn't escalate due to the fact I can't receive the curse seal I tried to train harder when I wasn't cleaning. Since I couldn't seem to figure out nature things I just trained on chakra control," she looked at her right hand as she walked back over to Kabuto, looking up at him, "I figured, maybe I could learn to be a medic like you but I couldn't force any chakra out, or so it seemed. I tried to heal a harmed rat one day. I focused on putting my chakra through the rat. Nothing happened until I slipped and my hand touched the rat while I tried to heal him. He began to melt away. It was horrific really."

She bowed her head; a little sad she killed the defenceless creature. Kabuto just continued to watch the girl with much more interest than before. She continued her story.

"Well, after that I just tried the same thing to inanimate objects and well soon enough I escalated to being able to transfer my chakra through anything to reach anything. I haven't really expanded too far but I can melt something from one end of the hallway from the other."

A small grin was on the girl's face when she noticed the interest Kabuto was taking to her new ability. _Maybe now, even though I don't have some fancy seal, I can be useful, gain some sort of purpose in the world! _Kabuto continued to stare, pondering over many things. He picked up a beaker of a swirling dark blue liquid. He walked over to the far edge of the lab and set it on the floor behind the counter.

"Try and erase the liquid only in the beaker."

The girl raised an eyebrow at the medic.

"But, I can't see it."

The man sighed, rolling his eyes, and pushing up his glasses.

"That's the point; try to imagine the liquid in the jar and see if you can transfer your chakra to it."

The girl narrowed her eyes. _Smart ass. _She took in a deep breath. _I guess it couldn't hurt._ She shrugged, beginning her meditation.

"Kabuto-kun, please move away, just a precaution."

The medic simply took a couple steps back from the beaker, watching her and the glass jar carefully. _This could be very useful. _Rai slammed her palm to the cement floor and focused on the image of the blue liquid. She forced strings of chakra through the floor, like a snake slithery to his prey. She stared ahead, her eyes open but not actually seeing what was in front of her. The chakra lines crawled up the jar and into the liquid, there it released, attacking and eating away at the substance. It began to hiss and sizzle, erasing from existence. Without the actual image of the beaker, her mind slipped also eating away at some of the beaker itself. He watched with interest as the poison in front of him began to disappear from existence. A devious grin soon took place on his face and he looked over at the now standing female, she still wore the bath towel. _The feisty ones are always the most surprising._ Rai just grinned ear to ear, feeling actually useful for once in her life.


	3. Taijutsu

alrighty then, chapter 3! lol this story is strange for me to write due to lack of knowledge to the orochimaru like anything.. ive been all oo akatsuki blah blah so the other bad guys have been just brushed aside ... more cause sasukes a douche bag so it drew me away from sound... though il always love kabuto :P hes sweet! anyways! lol chapter 3 as promised on sunday.. ENJOY 3  
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, it's character or similarities to plot  
Claimer: I do own Rai, her powers and her 'clan/family'

"speech."  
_thoughts  
_memories/flashbacks

* * *

Rai was woken up once again but, this time by a knocking on her door. She growled in frustration at the constant awakenings she has been receiving the past 2 weeks. She stumbled to the door. _This was much more appreciated then having a crazy kid attack you in the shower with a syringe, or Sakon barging in here throwing ice on my bed as he's done for 4 occasions now. _Her mouth stretched open wide as she yawned rather ungracefully as she opened the door. Her cheeks blushed a bright pink as she noticed a rather indifferent and cold man standing in front of her now. He was a much more respected and feared member of the Sound Five.

"Oh! Kimimaro-kun! I'm so sorry; I just figured you were Kabuto-kun."

Somehow, his face didn't move or change at all but, as the girl looked up at him his eyes seemed to look down at her as trash. Much more harshly than she has noticed before.

"Garbage..." He breathe out. "Let's go, we have training to do. Your skills are very inadequate."

The green haired girl just bit her tongue as she nodded to the white haired man in front of her. She shut her door to get dressed, sticking her tongue out at him behind closed doors.

"Your skills are very inadequate... Look at me I have a Bloodline Limit. I'm freaking ah-may-zing!" she mocked the former allied member, "Bloody stuck up geniuses! I could be amazing to if I wasn't destined to wash bloody floors because you people can't watch your dammed temper!"

Her bitterness toward the Sound Five was not very hidden in her mainly blunt outlook. The fact that Kabuto is making her train with them infuriates her. _This sucks but, it beats cleaning after the smug bastards. She_ sighed as she walked out of her room finally dressed. She wore a light grey tunic, similar to Sakon's but fit much better, not giving her the guy like figure like Tayuya had. Her hair was tied up with the extra material of her headband, giving her a bow at the top of her head. Pale green fingerless gloves, made of a thin material, made for show more than anything. Concluding with a pair of tight and black shorts, ending above her knees. In other words she looked small, weak and the last thing from threatening.  
Winding down hallways, stairwells and crossing through some doors, the girl finally made it to a semi large stone room, which was better lit then other areas of this base. Kabuto and Kimimaro were there, standing at the far end. The worst thing about this set up was they were much too expressionless and well boring. _Geez, at least Sakon has smart ass comments and actually talks._

"Don't smile or say hi, your statuesque features might break," the girl mocked her cold peers.

As presumed, they stood there and said nothing back in return, just staring at her with blank eyes. Kabuto pushed up his glasses as he took a step forward.

"Your training will consist of taijutsu, it being your weakest point."

Rai was getting nervous now; she knew that Kimimaro was feared for a reason. Even as a child, he was used as a weapon for his clan's battle hungry ways. The fact he wouldn't second guess killing off the weakest link, even if a teammate. He was no longer the passionate child she once knew at a young age. She began to gnaw on the inside of her cheek and the cold man began to walk toward her. Something must have happened because his eyes narrowed in curiosity when he stopped.

"Ignore it Kimimaro-kun, we have yet to establish the cause."

The girl, confused, pulled out a shuriken, using the shiny metal to try and look at herself. The rims of her eyes were dark, and her cheeks sunken. _This talent is bloody well useless, though I guess it did stop the man. I could use it as a distraction to run away._ The girl put the weapon away and took a stance, her feet spread and knees bent, her hands in a seal focusing chakra to her feet. _He's fast, I know that for a fact, very intelligent as well. _That was all the girl knew, his fighting style, his technique, not even what his Bloodline limit was. She was a child fighting a veteran.

"I've known you all my life, yet I have never seen you fight. It seems wrong."

"But, you have Rai-chan. When we were 6, you ran into the middle of battle for your father."

The girl tried to recall the memory but, she couldn't remember that far shrugged and readied for the attack. Kimimaro just stood there.

"It's your training; I will kill you if I attacked you first."

The girl bit her lip; she didn't know what to do, though she appreciated his honesty. Most of all she was surprised at the man and his recollection of her at a young age, and the tone of his voice. It made her blush. _Alright, breathe, focus, and relax. _The girl finally summoned enough courage and disappeared from her spot, appearing to the left of the man only for her foot to be caught and her thrown back to her place.

"You're fast, but your attacks are poorly planned, easy to see through."

The girl growled in frustration as she picked herself up off the dusty ground. Apparently she hasn't cleaned this area in a while. _Huh? Maybe I should give this place a quick sweep... _She pushed back her thoughts and got up and tried again, not bother to wait, her chakra was moving, meditation was no longer needed. She came from above this time, twirling with an attempt of a drop kick. She missed and quickly landed and sprung at him with a fury of punches from all angles. He stared at her with a bored expression as he simply blocked her attack with no effort at all. He was somewhat shocked that she had the ability to move this fast. He wasn't aware of her spare time training, though only consisted of speed, no skill.  
She pulled a strange move; she dove in between his legs and tried to kick him forward. He twirled on his toes, just missing her foot. Rai scowled in annoyance as she flipped back to stand on her feet, panting, almost at a point of sweating. _She seems useless to Orochimaru-sama, why don't I just remove this garbage. _He pushed himself, stepping toward her, swinging his leg up to kick her but she ducked underneath it. She tried to punch him, but her arms were to short and he simply just leaned back letting the fist fly by. He used his palm to push her arm over and down move causing her lack of balance, he brought his foot up and it collided with her face sending her in the air where he brought down his palm to push her harder into the bricks beneath her. The ground cracked and she laid there limp. Still breathing though, she turned her head and Kimimaro watched as the blood dripped from her head, her mouth and her nose.  
Reality and illusion seemed to mix behind Kimimaro's retinas. Images of a younger version of Rai laying in a field, covered in bites and cuts. It flashed in and out like a bad movie. His face didn't change as the dark feeling went through him. He turned and began to leave the large area.

"She is useless, I can't even train her at this level."

Kimimaro left Kabuto with the badly injured girl with a dark memories going through his head. Kabuto sighed as he walked over to see the girl still conscious surprisingly. Her eyes hardly open still fluttered, trying to keep her self awake.

"H-e-s wr-on-ong," the girl's voice was sputtering and spiting from the blood stuck in her throat and the inability to function from the force of the hit, "I-I c-can-n st-ill mo-v-ve."  
Her limbs jittered and shook, her nerves were shot and she couldn't control her own muscles. Kabuto stared down in amazement at the fact she can speak and still be conscious. The pain going through here would be excruciating. She should be long passed out by now. He watched her for an entire minute before her seizure like appearance ceased and she lay there unconsciousness finally taking over her. _He really went all out on her._

* * *

Kimimaro walked down the dark hallways, on his way to his room or so he thought that's where he was going. His mind wasn't seeing the path he took, all that was showing were memories of a time before.

A small boy of around 5 or 6 sat in a dark cave, steel bars and seals trapping him inside. He sat in the back corner hugging his own knees. He was so alone, no reason for living except to fight for his father. Unless he was fighting he was locked away here. Tears fell from his eyes as the loneliness began to be unbearable. As his sobs grew louder, they washed out the sound of oncoming footsteps of a small child the same age. Her hair was long and a strange dark green. Her eyes, they were a pale yellow, like a soft flower. Her hair always blanketed them though, almost hiding her rosy cheeks. She ran up to the bars and crouched down holding on to them, avoiding the seals. Her lips pulled down into a frown as she saw the tears and heard the cries.

"Kimimaro-niichan... Why are you crying?"

The boy gasped as the voice startled him out of his sobs.

"You can't be here! You'll get in trouble, I'm not supposed to have visitors."

"That's silly."

The girl giggled, tilting her head and smiling brightly. The boy couldn't help but gaze at her. _She is so pretty._

"What's your name?"

"Hm? Oh, I'm Talako Rai. My father is the lord of the family you saved."

The girl rummaged in her pocket of the poofy dress she wore. She pulled out a shiny red apple. She tried to pass it through the bars to the white haired boy.

"Here, you must be hungry. I always like to munch on apples when I'm hungry."

The boy hesitated but accepted the gift from the small girl. His cheeks went a light pink as he held the apple to his chest.

"So why were you crying Kimimaro-niichan?"

"I don't know why my father, why he, he locks me in here. It's lonely in here."

The girl frowned. _What kind of father locks his son up? Poor Kimimaro-niichan._

"I know, I'll come visit you! Than Kimimaro-niichan won't be lonely!"

"Why do you call me that?"

"Well, daddy says we are a part of this clan now, brothers or something. He says we owe a lot to the Kaguya clan."

The small boy smiled.

"You're really cute when you smile Kimimaro-niichan."

The boy turned his face trying to hide the growing smile and deep blush on his cheeks. The small girl smiled with curved eyes, enjoying the fact Kimimaro looked so happy.

Kimimaro's eyes narrowed at his past. The past didn't matter now all that mattered was he was Orochimaru's dream container and he would live fulfilling his dream of being needed. He finally noticed where his feet had lead him, he stood in front of Kabuto's lab. He was about to turn away when the door opened up to show the medic himself.

"Oh, Kimimaro-kun. You did quite a number on Rai-chan."

"How is she?"

The medic's lip twitched into a smirk, but scowled inwardly.

"She should be fine, she needs to be bed written for a day or so though. Should I find somebody else to train her Kimimaro-kun?"

"No. I will continue my orders."

The silver haired ninja walked away, leaving the door to his lab as he disappeared down the hall. Kimimaro watched him with uncertain eyes, glancing over when a beeping struck his ears. It was at a rhythmic pace. He followed the sound to see the small girl laid out on a table with a sheet draping her body. A mask covered her mouth, attached to an oxygen machine. The man narrowed his eyes and picked up the clipboard on the desk. He read the messy writing. _Patient has received untraceable nerve damage. 26 broken bones and 13 other fractures. A couple organs were punctured multiple times. Patient shows no sign of increased physical recovery, only chemical. _His vivid green eyes watched the mask fog up and clear with each breath the small girl took. He felt a tinge of guilt from being so rough with the girl, but she had to be shown that this wasn't a game.

"but why... you have changed..."

He narrowed his eyes, trying to listen more closely to the whispers of the unconscious female.

"im not weak... what is wrong..."

_I wonder what she is seeing behind her lids._

"kimimaro..."

His jaw clenched and his eyes glared at the girl. He turned and walked out, throwing the clipboard roughly on one of the counters. _Stupid trash._


	4. Cold and Broken

Alrighty :) chapter 4, i like this chapter, its cute in a sick way XD lol... im a little lost how im going to conclude this, so anyone reading this has their own ideas dont be afraid to help out a little? :P well i hope you enjoy it! :D  
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, the character or plot similarities. I have separaters for time skips, just so your aware.  
Claimer: I do own Rai, her technique and her clan/family.  
_thoughts  
_memories

* * *

Step. _Ow. _Step. _Ow. _Step. _Ow. _Step. _Ow._ The small girl tried to walk around the hallways, it's only been about 30 hours since she was crippled by Kimimaro. Something hurt with every step in her torso, ribs and stomach she presumed. Kabuto finally left her alone after an hour of his stupid testing. When he turned his back she bolted out of the room, which was probably why she was so sore now.

"Rai-chan, what are you doing up?"

The girl gasped as she turned around and bowed down on one knee, hissing in pain.

"Orochimaru-sama! I was just trying to escape Kabuto-kun's painful ways he shows he cares."

The very pale, man chuckled, his eyes small and piercing. _Though Kabuto-kun doesn't really care, I'm just a fun little game for him._

"Stand up Rai-chan, you're in no shape to be bowing like that."

She stood up, not that it made much of a difference, it hurt either way.

"Thank you Orochimaru-sama."

"So, what are you really doing out here Rai-chan?"

The girl's eye widen at the accusations, though they were right. She bowed her head in embarrassment as her motives were found out.

"Kabuto-kun wants to keep me bed written for another day, most likely two the way he takes my blood!" She blushed at her outburst. "So, I came looking for Kimimaro-kun to train with more."

The older man shook his head making a scolding noise with his tongue.

"Rai-chan, it's not safe to be pushing yourself so hard."

"As long as I'm not being degraded by cleaning floors, I don't care if I die training!"

_Kabuto was right, she does have a lip on her. I wish he would hurry up and figure out her strange ability though. _The snake like man grinned deviously which made the small girl cringe back a little in fear.

"I think Kimimaro-kun is in his room. Better hurry before Kabuto finds you."

The girl bowed and ran passed the man in a flash.

"Thank you Orochimaru-sama."

_Such a child._ He sighed in annoyance continuing his stroll around his base.

* * *

A man the age of 16 lay in his bed, resting his eyes. Sleep has been avoiding him and it was effecting his train of thought. He enjoyed the quiet, the peace, the relaxation. That was until a very annoying rapping noise was heard on his door. He double thought just ignoring the sound hoping they would go away, but it could be Kabuto or Orochimaru. _Just when I was comfortable. _He walked over and turned the door handle. A small girl with dark green hair tied up in a messy bun smiled brightly at him. _Stupid girl! Go away... _His eyes clearly speaking what he thought. The girl bowed her head, hiding her face with her bangs that hung loosely down. She looked like a pathetic child as she kicked at the ground with her toe.

"I was hoping you could try and train me again Kimimaro-kun."

"You are trash, and in your state you will just get yourself killed. Don't be stupid."

"I'm not weak so shut up! Stop acting like your better than me! I'm sick of it!"

"Our fight before proved I was stronger than you. Stop whining."

She glared at him with as much hate as she could muster in her little eyes. _Arrogant prick!_ Her fists clenched tightly, almost breaking the skin on her knuckles. Kimimaro just stared down at her with the narrow eyes he always wore on his face. The same indifferent face he's had since Orochimaru recruited them.

"At least I don't need some stupid seal to make me strong!"

"This was a gift from Orochimaru-sama! It proves I am a part of him."

Anger showed on his features as the girl finally hit a nerve. _So Orochimaru is your button. Sure, he was your rescuer... Not like I wasn't there the whole time..._ The more she thought the angrier she became.

"He's using you, like he's using the rest of us."

"No! I am his dream container, I will help him accomplish his goals."

"You're so fucking blind Kimimaro! It makes me sick. He took you in, he gave you more power, he cooed you with fancy words. It's all lies!"

"No! You're wrong. Shut up trash!"

His fist flew striking the girl in the face, a sickening crack could be heard as her jaw and cheek bone broke. She hit the wall with amazing force, falling limp to the cement.

"I didn't blame you for father's death... Was it all a lie... Is this my power?"

The girl spoke in a whisper, more to herself than anything. After talking she coughed, spitting up a ton of blood. She ignored the pain as her her jaw rubbed together as she talked. The still fresh wounds opening again inside of her. Kimimaro just stood there, glaring at the limp body across the hallway. _Orochimaru-sama does care about me, and he needs me. For once I am needed. You were only there because you had no where else to go._

"What's your dream Kimimaro-niichan?"

The small girl leaned against the cave wall, sitting beside the white haired boy. Cold bars stopping their shoulders from touching. She fiddled with a flower in her hand as she questioned the boy. He sat there watching her fingers meddle with the small plant.

"I want to be needed by someone. Than become strong so I can protect them and fight for them."

After a moment of silence Kimimaro asked the same question.

"What about you Rai-chan, what is your dream?"

"Hmmm. I want to be a strong leader like my daddy. Than I want to find a special boy who will stand along side of me."

* * *

The two children stood in a battle scared field. Their families all eliminated from the battle with Kirigakure. The small girl cried into the sleeve of her sweater while her other hand grasped Kimimaro's tightly. He too felt the pain and sorrow of losing everybody. Losing his reason of living. That thought caused a twist in his heart as he turned his head to see the girl standing beside him, like always. She startled him when she began to speak in a stuttered way.

"Kimimaro-niichan... I promise I will always need you. As long as you stand by my side."

This caused a greater twist in his heart, the funny thing was he was the one who needed her all this time. He would have been so lost and alone without her. He tightened the grip of her hand as a reply and she burst into a fit of crying, flinging herself into the boy. He wrapped his arm's around her, the same way he noticed her father did for her before he left for battle.

Kimimaro's eyes were glazed over as the memories flooded back into his mind. _But, I'm not standing at your side anymore Rai-chan. You no longer need me. _He turned and shut the door of his room, retreating back to his bed where he laid trying to erase the memories of his no longer existent past.

The small girl stared at the ground, the hurt in her heart powering over the one in her face. Tears poured out when she heard the door shut. _He really doesn't care about me anymore, everything we've been through, all the time we spent together as children. It really meant nothing to him. _She wrapped herself into a tight ball, her mouth pouring out blood, her eyes pouring out tears. She was a mess if Kabuto has ever seen one, he walked around the corner to find her soaked in her own fluids. She had no sense of her surroundings. _Why does he have such feelings toward Orochimaru-sama? What has he done that I couldn't give? _

"Rai-chan?"

The girl looked up, _Kabuto-kun, _he had a strange way at showing up at the most vulnerable times. If he didn't know any better he would think she was a zombie. Her skin was a sickly purple colour, her cheeks sunken and cut across her right side where he noticed her bone was broken along with her jaw. Many of the internal wounds have re opened again as well. _What was she doing here anyways?_ He bent down to pick up her frail body, his clothes stained with blood and tears as he did so. He stopped to look at Kimimaro's door. _Something is wrong with that boy. _He wandered off to his lab, where he would have to fix the girl all over again.

* * *

"We start our plans in 2 days Kabuto... The downfall of Konoha is so close."

"Do you think Kimimaro-kun is well enough to follow through with this Orochimaru-sama?"

The snake man chuckled as he walked across the room.

"Kimimaro-kun will follow me till death."

A smirk went on the medic's face. _Young minds are so influential. _He bowed his head and took his leave.


	5. All To Myself

though its monday, im a lil late with this.. i literally JUST finished writing this... im WAY behind on my story writing :( writing just doesnt seem to flow like it used too.. forgive me if my writing sucks or isnt as upbeat as it once was... im trying i really am! lol well i hope you enjoy this nevertheless! :) i didn't mind it... im still working out how im going to put this together.. so fair warning i doubt itll be up by next week... so it might bee a week late! alrighty enough of that ENJOY :) leave some feedback ? :P

* * *

A body lay unconscious on a table slab, covered in a sheet and wrapped;o in tubes. Kabuto decided to change his nice guy front and keep the girl unconscious until her wounds were healed or until Kimimaro was out of reach from killing her. Even with the warnings of Kabuto, the green eyed man stared down at her. Except for the large wound on the side of her face, it seemed the colour of her skin has returned to a normal flesh like colour. _Pathetic trash, why would Kabuto want you around?_ His anger grew toward her in a rapid rate as his memories took over his mind at an even faster rate. He hated remembering their bond that ended years ago. He belonged to Orochimaru now. Yet he found himself drawn to her, the more he was around her though, the more his urge to push her away grew. He let out a coughing fit, noticing the blood in his palm. It was better this way anyway. She didn't need anybody anymore, she had the will power to stand by herself. That was more then Kimimaro could say about himself. _Physically you are trash, emotionally... you stand much higher than I. _He found his hand moving, the tips of his finger brushed the side of her face. The wound he carelessly inflicted a day earlier. A tinge of guilt pulled at his stomach as he remembered the argument they held moments before his outburst.

"Kimimaro-kun, if you've come to finish the job I suggest you leave before things get unpleasant."

His eyes harden at the accusations and threat hidden in the words of the medic.

"What's this girl to you, just a specimen for your sick games?"

"Heheh."

Kabuto chuckled darkly walking up to the girl's bed, looking over the machines she was strapped to. He took a glance at green eyes that never faltered their stare at her face.

"If it wasn't for me you would have left her with some nice scares."

Anger was flowing through the younger male at the words. _What do you know about scares... You're more trash then the rest of them. _He turned and began to walk away from the medic and his new experiment.

"We are leaving soon enough Kimimaro-kun. Do you think you are well enough to accomplish this mission?"

"I will do what Orochimaru-sama needs of me."

Kabuto chuckled darkly as Kimimaro left his lab. He turned his gaze to the unconscious girl before him. _Rai-chan, you try so hard and he doesn't give a second thought. You deserve better._ His laugh was menacing as he stuck a light blue liquid into the arm of the girl. He tried and tried to get the unconscious girl to accept the vitamins and nutrients her body needed to survive, but unless she willing absorbed them in tablet or food, nothing would work, no matter how he arranged the mixture. He sighed in defeat sticking a dissoluble tablet into the girl's mouth. A strange urge overcame him as he stared at the soft features of her face. The strange green of her hair. He walked around and turned off the machine that controlled the air inside the mask she wore. Gently he lifted her head pulling it off. He stood there, one hand in his pocket the other at his side. He waited as the girl's mind began to switch on and her body gaining control over it's functions one again.

5 minutes have passed before she began to groan and shift, her eyes finally fluttering open.

"Whaa... What's going on? Kimimaro-kun?..."

The medic scowled at the name. He couldn't change that though, they grew up together, it's instinct. But, he can change her future thoughts, pull on the strings of her heart.

"Rai-chan."

Her eyes met large black orbs and she calmed down a little.

"Kabuto-kun... It's a little creepy how you're always around when I wake up."

"Heh, it's a little sad that you always wind up unconscious."

The girl glared at him as his lips twitch into a small smile.

"I wanted to keep you sleeping until you healed so you didn't get yourself killed. But, you are a very difficult patient and the pills I have aren't enough."

"If that's what I taste in my mouth, they are also very disgusting."

Her face scrunched up like a small child being forced to eat vegetables. A little bitter to the disrespect of his medicine he brushed it off.

"The most bitter medicines are always the best."

"But you just said they weren't working. Maybe you should recruit some new experiments, you're getting rusty."

He narrowed his eyes, glaring at the frail girl before him. _Ungrateful brat. How dare she doubt my medical knowledge._

"Watch yourself Rai-chan, or you will be my new experimental toy."

"I'm not now? Damn, I'd be scared what the real experiments go through Kabuto-kun."

The girl pushed herself in a sitting position, watching out for the tubes that seemed to be attached all over her body. Her face scrunched up and she whimpered in pain, her hand bolting to her face.

"Is the pain coming back Rai-chan?"

She nodded, her eyes clenched trying to suppress it.

"Here, put this under your tongue, it should make the pain go away."

The girl took the strange orange tablet and stuffed it under her tongue, letting it dissolve. Her tongue began to go very cold and feel like pin and needle like. It slowly spread across her face until in a frozen flash of pain her face went numb.

"Whoa.. that was strange."

"I take it that it worked."

She wiped along her lips raising an eyebrow at the dry fingertips. Kabuto raised an eyebrow.

"It doesn't effect the salutary glands."

"But, you'll tell me if I start to drool or something right?"

He chuckled to himself, shaking his head, he began to remove the tubes and such off and out of her body. Her hands rubbing over each small hole as if in habit. _I wonder if she went through similar treatments a lot as a child. _She smiled to herself as the tubes and needles were pulled out of her abused flesh. _Doctors do more damage than they fix..._ She turned so that he feet could hang over the edge of the table.

"Why do you follow Orochimaru-sama?"

Kabuto glanced at the girl as her head bowed. He finished putting the tubes away before answering her, or more trying to turn the tables.

"Why do you ask Rai-chan?"

"I'm curious at nature."

"It's not always good to stick your nose into things."

"Says the what, triple agent spy? Your nose ain't to clean Kabuto-kun."

He glared at the drawer in front of him, before turning back to the fragile girl who was no longer at her seat. His eye widen in shock as his head whipped around.

"Ra-"

"It was clear, the patients blood is a cure to incurable diseases. Her blood, is the solution to any sickness. Is this about me Kabuto-kun?"

_Dammit, that crafty little girl. _Kabuto cleared his throat before snatching the clipboard away from the frail girl. _How can something so fragile still be so energetic?_

"You're awfully lively today Rai-chan."

"Mm, that's what happens when your forced to sleep for like days..."

"It was less than 24 hours, don't be such an exaggerator."

"Why do you always act as if you have a kunai stuck up your butt Kabuto-kun?"

His eye began to twitch behind the lenses of his glasses as he pushed them back up on his nose. His annoyance was clearly getting to him as the girl continued to be much more energetic than he could have presumed. She stood, skipping around looking around at the tools around the lab.

"Sorry Kabuto-kun..."

She stopped her careless acts and sat back down on the cold slab. He noticed the light movements of her biting her own lip.

"I think his views are very appealing and I share his sense of outlook on life. And yes, those conclusions were from you."

"Hm. I would rather die than follow Orochimaru-sama's views on life. He seems to enjoy turning family against each other. It's disturbing."

His eyes narrowed at the female who sat with her hair shading her face.

"Don't you dare talk about Orochimaru-sama that way!"

Rai looked up at Kabuto, his face showed his uneasy feelings toward her own, a similar look as to Kimimaro when she said the same things. She smiled and hoped down, heading toward the door.

"Sorry to take up your time Kabuto-kun. If you need me I'll be catching up on my cleaning duties."

"No, I'm not-"

"Touch me Kabuto-kun and you'll discover first hand what my powers really are."

Her eyes were blanketed by her hair, her voice had sound of definite to them. He didn't dare test them, even if he could regenerate his cells, there was no harm in letting her leave. _Kimimaro will be gone soon, than I'll have all the time in the world. _He watched as the steel door closed and turned to finish up with what he was instructed before Rai distracted him.

Rai grabbed a bucket and sponge, in a very familiar sort of routine and walked to the farthest end of the base she was housed in. She was back to being the cleaning lady of the Sound's base.

"Hello my old friend and enemy..." She glared at the porous thing in her palm.


	6. Nightly Visitor

Alrighty.. I have been makign some improvemnts or SLIGHT alterations in the former chapters... nothing you have to worry about, just honorifics and I have finally given Rai a last name.. Talako... It's jsut made up, nothing major. I just thought she needed one. The famous Talako Family of the South... Something along that. I uno, nothing before Kimimaro is really gone through so I never thought to far back.. Well I hope you enjoy this chapter

"speech"  
_thoughts  
_memories/flashbacks

* * *

She stood up straight, her body was aching as if she were laying under a 2 ton anvil. _I wonder if I should ask Kabuto-kun for that strange tablet. I hate depending on drugs but it's obvious I'm in horrible shape. _She gave a sigh as she began to wander to her room, leaving the bucket and sponge where they lay. Her head was beginning to feel light and dizzy, the only person she wished she could see was Kabuto. He was always there to help her feel better. Always there when she woke up. _He's been there the whole time I've been here..._ She gripped her head and sat up against the wall.

"Shit, I'm gonna kill him one day."

"Kill who Rai-chan?"

The girl screamed and slid down the wall she used to keep herself standing. A tanned man looked down at her with a smirk, his four arms crossed over his torso.

"Kidomaru! You're worse than a shadow!"

He bent down, helping the girl up. Her pale eyes glared at him causing his smirk to grow into a grin.

"Sorry, I saw you stumble around. Where have you been?"

She began to walk toward her room again, this time with a man she would dub as her friend. Only due to his sweet behaviour and his cleanness.

"Mm, here and there."

"Oh, really? It seems that here and there haven't been cleaned lately. I had to listen to Tayuya and Sakon bitch about having no dishes."

"Hm, how unfortunate for the Sound Pigs..."

"Ouch..."

The two laughed as Kidomaru opened the door to the girl's room. It's been a few day's since she's even been in it.

"Kidomaru-san, have you been in here lately?"

"Do you think so low of me Rai-chan? Why?"

"No reason, sorry."

He set her on her bed, pulling the blankets over her. _What's the point of a maid if you don't treat her right?_ His brows pushed together in annoyance. _If she's gone no one else will clean up the mess. Idiots._ He smiled at her when she looked at him quizzically, but to further inspection she wasn't looking at him, just through him.

"So what happened to you Rai-chan?"

"Huh? Oh, just training. Seems I've become rusty on... Well I suck."

"Haha! Don't be so hard on yourself, Kabuto is cold to everyone while he trains."

"What? No, Kabuto has been trying to keep me alive. I was training with Kimimaro."

_What? Since when doesn't Kabuto train? He trains everyone in this base. _

"Keeping you alive, what really happened?"

"Like I said... I just suck. Kimimaro was just trying to.. he was... showing me."

He sighed as he scratched the back of his head, looking at the girl as her face began to pale and sink right before his own eyes.

"Well, you'll have to rest up. Maybe you can replace Kimimaro on our next mission coming up!"

"Nah, I'm not allowed to do such things. I don't have the Curse Seal."

"Well, anyways... Get better alright Rai-chan."

"Of course Kidomaru-san. Good luck on that mission."

"HA! The difficulty level is child's play!"

She smiled and the boy shut the door behind him. She was left in darkness thinking to herself. It was easier to do when her head was spinning so fast, or the blood rushing pulsing in her eardrum. The fact the dust was disturbed in her room troubled her. _Maybe Kabuto was in here?_ That was the most logical answer, he has been looking after her. With that conclusion she was satisfied and her eyelids fluttered shut. A few minutes and she was in a deep sleep. Her breathing slow and her mind empty.

* * *

A tall pale man walked down the clean hallways of the base. Everything had a light citrus smell that tickled his nose. _Is that girl still running around?_ Though his thoughts sound annoyed they had a twinge of envy behind them, for pushing so much even while everyone kicks her down. Even himself, the man that mattered to her the most. He came up to a familiar wooden door. He's been here a couple of times, unsure as to why it drew him there. It had a feeling of home to it. Maybe it was the strong smell of citrus lilac that hovered strongest here.

He found himself looking up the hallway to see if people were around, pushing the door open a quiet gasp left his lips. The small girl was now laying in her absent bed. _She's back already? _He noticed the light snored that left her body as she slumbered deeply. He shut the door behind him and walked in. Lighting the small candle that laid on the side table, the small flame lit up the room with a dim orange glow. His green eyes stared over her with a longing twinkle. _I don't understand you Rai-chan... Why are you still here?_

"Kiiimimaroo-niichaaan!" a small girl ran into the dingy cave, "I got you somethii- AH!"

"Rai-chan!"

The girl tripped on her own excitement causing the small box in her hands to fall to the ground. Kimimaro ran to the bars grasping them, his mouth hung open in worry. The girl just looked up from the dirt with a smudged face, smiling brightly.

"Owy."

"Rai-chan are you alright!"

"Mm, I have to change now, but I'm fine." She picked her self off and dusted herself off. "I want to be tough like my father! I can't let a fall hurt me!"

She stood her hands on her hips and a ear to ear grin on her lips. The boy chuckled at the exaggerated girl but worry still pulled at his eyebrows.

"But... You're bleeding."

"What! Where!"

Her tough exterior vanished as she tried to find the terrifying red substance. She has seen her father come home with many flesh wounds and the sight of the red substance frightened her now. Kimimaro chuckled at the change of emotion of the girl. He beckoned for her to come closer. The girl did, inching toward the bars with her eyes clenched shut, trying not to tear up in front of the boy.

"How is it Kimimaro-niichan?"

The boy stayed silent as he took a hold of her hand and pulled it inside his cage. He used to corner of his own shirt to dab and try and wipe away at the small girl's wound. He was young so he didn't really know what to do, just what he can remember seeing the grown ups do. He frowned when he heard a gasp and the girl tug her arm away.

"Oh! Sorry Rai-chan... I guess I'm not very good at that."

She looked hurt at the small boy, but the sad look in his green eyes made her even more sad. She covered the stinging on her arm and smiled at him.

"I'll get father to fix it, it's okay!"

The boy watched her nervously for a moment before nodding and changing the subject. "So, what did you rush in here for Rai-chan?"

"Right!" The girl gasped picking up the fallen box. She handed it through the bars to the small boy. "I bought you something when I went with father shopping."

Kimimaro opened the box to show two strange red tube things, he looked at them questionably. "What are they?"

"You're hair is getting long, so I thought you could use these, watch I'll put them in for you!"

Rai snatched the ornaments and clipped a lock of hair on either side of the bewildered boy. He blushed at the contact of her playing with his silver-white hair. Rai stepped back blushing herself as she looked at the young, yet taller boy.

"They look really good Kimimaro-niichan!"

He looked down grasping one of the strange ornaments. He looked up to see a puppy eyed girl, desperately waiting for some sort of reply.

"Uhh, thanks Rai-chan."

She smiled and giggled, beginning to ramble on about something the boy didn't pay attention to. He just stared down his nose at the red ornament. Than looking up at the small girl in front of him. The idea of the red in her soft green hair pleased him. _She would look so cute with them herself._ He smiled and began to listen to her. She talked about what she saw while she was shopping.

Kimimaro's hand held onto the same ornaments he wore in his hair subconsciously as the memories of them flooded his mind. The wooden hair pieces seemed to burn his own fingertips as shame fluttered in his stomach.

"stupid kabuto... i'm fine..."

Her soft spoken words cut through the man worse than any kunai could. _How I hate that name..._ His eyes narrowed, brows pushed down. _I suppose it's for the better... _His fingertips gingerly swept away the locks of hair that fell from her talking. "He will be there for you..."

As if on cue he felt the tightening of his throat and he quickly stepped out of the room. He shut the door silently and his head hunched over in a coughing fit. Once again blood was splashed into his palm. He frowned at the sight. _It's getting worse._


	7. Sickness

i've really grown to like Rai as a character.. but i think i was to hasty putting this up.. but oh well.. i have been making changes int he story but nothing big, grammar, honorifics and just the little things really i think i have till chap 4 updated... anyways i know its a lil delayed for putting up and such but i have shit piling up and i just have no urge for writing.. sucha shame really i miss writing XD well i hope you enjoy this.. i put it together during school this week XD

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Kimimaro weakly stumbled into the lab of the Orochimaru's right hand man. The top of his shirt was covered in blood and his body was more pale than normal. His eyes were sunken and sickly.

"Ka-Kabuto-san..."

The man turned, pushing his glasses further onto his nose. His eyes opened wide at the sight.

"Kimimaro-kun. Come, lay down."

He walked over and helped the sickly man onto the cold slab. He took the normal medical protocol, checking the small things. Heart rate, breathing, temperature. Looking for external and internal wounds. Kabuto already knew what was wrong, the boy was dying. There was nothing he could do for him. He knew this the first moment the boy coughed up the mouthful of blood. His kidneys would stop working, his liver would shut down and without a way for nutrients to naturally find their way into the body due to the clogged pores in his intestines as well. His heart will simply give up. As much as it troubled the medic that he was even unable to save him, he held no remorse.

"You should have come sooner Kimimaro-kun... Your body has taken a tremendous amount of strain."

"I... I thought it would pass by. I had to keep up on my training. Orochimaru-sama needs me."

"Kimimaro-kun..." He paused as he began to insert needles into the arms of the boy, trying to slow down the effect of his sickness. "You know, being sick like this. You no longer can serve as Orochimaru's vessel."

The boy bit his lip, his eyes squinting from the growing twinge in his stomach. _I really have no more reason in life. _"Y-Yes... I know Kabuto-san."

Kabuto noticed the pain that strained his quiet voice. Kabuto felt a small pull of pity for the young boy.

"Alright Kimimaro-kun, you're going to feel very tired. I am dosing you with some anaesthesia, this will help you relax and not feel the pain as I construct some tests on your body."

"Alright."

Kabuto left his side, busing himself with preparations of his new tests. _It's a shame this is the way he will go. Either way- _His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the lab door opening and a sing song voice bounce in the stone walled room.

"Kabuto-kun! Can we do some training today? I finished cleaning the base top to bottom!"

It's been quite a while and the small girl had finally recovered from her never ending wounds. Kimimaro had avoided her ever since their little quarrel, giving her the time to heal. The silver haired man turned his head in shock and opened his mouth to order her out, but he was already to late. _Shit._

Rai stood dead on her feet as she looked at the body on the stone slab she had become so familiar with.

"Ki-Kimimaro-kun... Why, why is he here Kabuto-kun?"

"Rai-chan... You shouldn't be here. I'm very busy at the moment."

He noticed the shaking of her hands and the pressure she put as she bit down hard on her bottom lip. His lips and eyes were pulled into a scowl as he inwardly, sighed in frustration. He walked over and guided Rai out of the door.

"I'm sorry Rai-chan... I have to do something. I'll come by your room when I'm finished."

She was left in the hallway as the door shut and locked behind her. She was silent and her mind was so lost she couldn't process. _He was covered in blood, and the tubes. What happened to him? Is that why I couldn't find him?_ She turned toward the direction to her room, her head bowed. _I wonder if he's going to be okay? I don't know what I'd do without him._ Tears began to swell up in her eyes. _No matter what he says or does... I promised him I would always need him... _

Kabuto rested his forehead on the cold steel of the door, he let out a deep breath. _Baka girl... I don't get it. _He growled as he went back to what he was doing. He hated not knowing things, it was rare not knowing how something works. He looked down the sickly boy. _Why do people punish themselves like this? It's clear he wants nothing to do with her. _He began to draw blood from Kimimaro's arm. _Child. She's still such a baka child. Running around shouting and never giving up. _Images of a blond boy ran through his head. The battle with the Legendary Sannin. _She reminds me of young Naruto-kun._ He growled in frustration knowing the strain that boy puts on his mind trying to decipher the reasoning of his thick-headed ways.  
Rai laid in the dusty room that was labelled hers. She was the maid of this base yet she never cleaned her own room. She was hardly ever in this cold dark place. On rare occasions she would stumble here and collapse of the hard mattress, but she was always to out of it to care. The majority of her time was spent in training rooms with Kabuto or recovering in his lab.  
Without evidence all the bitter and angry feelings snaked along to one specific being. The snake himself, Orochimaru. _It's his fault Kimimaro-kun is sick! He doesn't even care that Kimimaro-kun is the way he is!_ She sat up in heated fury.

"Stupid no-good piece of shit! Deceiving, lying, manipulative snake bastard!"

She punched the wall beside her with all she could. A few slivers and chips fell from the stone but Rai had abused her fist more than the wall itself. She bit her lip trying to stop the liquid forming in the corners of her eyes.

"Why! Why can't they see the truth! Spin-less, sacs of-"

"What truth Rai-chan?"

Rai's voice was cut off by an ice cold chime. The slithering voice caused chills to run up her spine and the angry flush of her face to washed away. She was always one of those bark-with-no-bite kinda girls. She wouldn't have bit her tongue if she wasn't aware of the raw power of the pale man in front of her.

"Or- Orochimaru-sa-sama..."

"You seem to have grown quite a tongue lately Rai-chan," the man let his snake like tongue roll over his lips, "does this have to do with the attention you've been receiving from Kabuto-kun?"

She stood up at the side of her bed and bowed her head in shame. Not wanting to actually speak with the man. A feeling of insecurity came over her and the sickly appearance took over her small body. _Kabuto-kun..._

"Do you fear me, dear Rai-chan?"

The voice was close, too close. Her head snapped up, only for her chin to be caught in the clasp of Orochimaru's thumb and finger. Her skin went cold at his touch. She inwardly begged for release, the new found fear of this man was excruciating.

"Your eyes are screaming with fear dear Rai-chan," he brought up his other hand and used his thumb to wipe away a forgotten tear on her cheek, "I remember a time where you were afraid of nothing. What happened?"

"Hurry up Kimimaro-kun, maybe if we report early enough we can get sent on another mission!"

Kimimaro stared with annoyed eyes as the small girl walked backwards in front of him. It's been a short time since Orochimaru had taken them in and Rai had learned at quite a fast pace about being a ninja, Something that shocked Kimimaro. The family she had come from was just a noble family, no mentioning of any sort of ninja abilities at all.

"Maybe I don't want to leave for another mission with you Rai-chan."

"Hm!"

The girl crossed her arms and began to pout, finally turning around to walk like a normal person. Kimimaro sighed in annoyance at her childish behaviour, but was thankful for peace and quiet.  
When they finally had reached the large stone doors that lead to Orochimaru's throne room, Kimimaro grabbed the handle to let Rai through. Just because he was a feared ninja didn't mean he couldn't have manners. The two walked forward and bowed on one knee to the pale man sitting before them.

"Ah, Dear Rai-chan and Kimimaro-kun. Finished with time to spare as always."

The girl stood up with a smile on her face, "Hai! Orochimaru-sama!"

The girl's smile was short lived as she noticed the annoyed glare of Kimimaro.

"Are the recruits already assembled in the dungeon?"

"Hai, Orochimaru-sama. Just as you asked." Kimimaro answered this time.

"Excellent, you may return to your rooms, or tend to yourselves."

"I want to go on another mission!" Rai complained.

The man just chuckled, trying to brush off the young girl. "I'm sorry Rai-chan, but there is nothing for you to do with your strength."

"Bull! I can kick anyones ass! Let me do another mission! Please Orochimaru-sama!"

His patience was already worn down and he frowned at the spunky girl. He loved how loyaly she followed him, but her spunk and lack of fear towards him irritated him.

"Rai-chan! Do not speak to Orochimaru-sama with such a tone! Don't forget your place!"

Kabuto commanded as he crawled out of the shadows from behind Orochimaru's throne. Rai just scowled and mumbled harsh words into her shoulder. Kimimaro stood with his eyes shut as the actions of his partner almost embarrassed him. Things just weren't the same since they have come here. Orochimaru let out a silent sigh of annoyance. Regret almost taking over his choice to keep the girl alive. Soon enough though, he will present them both with the Earth Seal and he can train that personality flaw out of the young girl.

"You both may leave now."

"Stupid, know-it-all medic, with a stick up his-"

Orochimaru shouted, scolding the mutters of the female, she just flinched at the volume and began to pout as she walked out. After a couple of moments, Kabuto looked over at his master.

"No matter what I seem to do, that girl will not take 'no' for an answer."

"She seems very close to Kimimaro-kun, and as of late he seems to be withdrawing himself from her."

The statement had a hint of question behind it as he pushed his glasses back into a more comfortable place on his nose. The man began to smile deviously into the distance.

"It's intriguing what a man will do for power."

Rai tried to pull herself away from his grip but her efforts were futile. This caused the man to grin and a shiver down her spine. How long Orochimaru waited for this girl to fall weak to his stare, to fall quiet to his words.

"Now Rai-chan, why such terrible words?"

Her eyes shifted side to side, looking for some sort of sign to escape, some sort of mercy but nothing came.

She spoke in a weak voice, "y-you, you're lying to Ki-Kimimaro-kun... You d-don't care about-t any of us."

The man laughed manically as his tongue ran down her cheek. She clenched her eyes shut at the strange feeling crippling her mind. She made sure to at last hold back her tears, even if she feared the man now, even if he was taking the last thing she loved from her. She will never let him see her cry.

"It doesn't matter anymore Rai-chan. It's too late, and there is no further escape for you." He let go of her an walked over to the door he entered from. "He belongs to me now."

Rai fell back on her bed and curled into a small ball, she trembled from fear and from rage at the snake that was slowly ruining her life. She mentally punished herself for once seeing him as a saviour.


	8. Two Hearts, Same Guilt

gomen nasai for the lateness of my stories, life is draining away my creativity and giving me writers block... but at least i found some inspiration for this story :) I'm beginning to like it more and more each chapter, i'm really proud how it's turning out considering this was a half ass fic i jotted down and prematurely put up lol. Enjoy 3

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"Wrong again, Rai-chan, do it again from the vary beginning!" Kabuto snapped at the small girl in the middle of the large room.

Rai stopped what she was doing and held herself on her knees. Sweat was dripping off of her and she was panting for her life. Kabuto had never trained her this hard, she hasn't felt this much pain since she lost her fight with the 'moody' Tayuya.

"Give me a break Kabuto-kun," she collapsed on the floor and closed her eyes. "Why are you pushing me so hard? I can hardly even breath."

She could hear his footsteps make their way toward her. They made a scuffing stop and his sharp tone once again pained her skull.

"You have been taken too lightly and you're getting no where. You have hardly improved at all in stamina and if I recall you got your ass handed to you recently."

Her eyes clenched tighter at the harsh words he was feeding her. It's not like he was completely wrong, she was spending most of her time standing by the unconscious Kimimaro.

"I'm sorry Kabuto-kun. I am trying my best for you."

As true as those words were, it pained her to think of them. There was a double meaning to that statement, one that would infuriate him. Kabuto stared down at the girl who now had her pale yellow eyes fixed on his. The scowl in his eyes began to fade with her words. _Maybe I am being too hard on her?_ He let out a sigh in his hand before taking another peak at the girl. _I suppose it is wrong for me to take out my frustrations on her. These things take time, I knew this from the start._

"Fine, take a short break. Be back here in exactly 15 minutes though."

His tone was commanding, but Rai noticed the slight difference in sharpness. She smiled and slowly brought herself up and out of the training hall she was in. Kabuto watched her as she limped through the doors. He took off his glasses and brushed another hand through his bangs. _It's taking too much time! _His own composed nature was slipping the longer he spent his patience on the girl. With Orochimaru weakening and frustrated, Kabuto didn't have much to level himself with. It was hectic times for the Sound and things just kept getting worse.  
Rai decided to skip on her visit to Kimimaro right now. She didn't need Kabuto thinking she was slacking and her throat was demanding water. Walking into the stone kitchen; 2 of the Sound Four were chatting amongst themselves over a snack. Rai tried to make herself unnoticed as she snuck around to get a drink and inconspicuously eavesdropping on their conversation.

"No way, it's defiantly going to be a breeze without him around. He can't do shit now anyways."

"You shouldn't use such unruly language Sakon-san." The larger of the two respectively stated between bites of his sandwich, "plus he was our leader after all."

"Tsh, whatever, I've always been better than him anyways. We will show Orochimaru-sama that we are just fine without the arrogant jerk."

Rai stared at the empty glass in her one hand as her other one was frozen of the jug of water. _Are they talking about Kimimaro-kun? _Sakon noticed the small girl frozen at the counter behind Jirobo.

"Plus, he's just going to die anyways. That's why we're on this mission. Orochimaru's precious container is tainted now!"

_What? _The glass broke from the pressure of her finger wrapping around the cup. The sound broke her out of her thoughts and the pain in her palm distracted her from the one that began to swell in her chest. Sakon chuckled to himself and took his cue to leave the room. Jirobo flinched at the ruckus the girl had made.

"Are you alright Rai-san?"

Rai just wrapped her hand in a towel that was nearby and began to pick up the pieces of glass. She knew from his tone he couldn't care less about her. He was just obligated to ask by his gentlemen like attitude. She just nodded her head and shunned him off. He left without second thought just as his comrade moments before.  
_He's actually going to die, and all Orochimaru is doing is sending them out to fetch him a replacement? _Her eyes began to sting from the tears swelling inside her eye sockets. She had been getting used to holding back the liquid, but just like the rest of the main stayers of the Sound base, things were piling up in a hurry on her shoulders.  
20 minutes had passed and Kabuto was standing against the wall glaring at the door Rai still had not walked through yet. _What the hell is that girl doing now? Here I thought I was being too hard on her._ The man growled in frustration as he presumed exactly where she was. In anger, he stormed off toward his lab, thinking of exactly what he'll be saying to that ungrateful brat.  
He slammed open the door to listen to the faint moans of dying subjects and the constant beeping of Kimimaro's monitors. There was no trace that Rai was even near his lab today. Everything was as they were left. It didn't help his rage toward his new student. He stormed out in search of the small shinobi. _Where the hell are you now Rai-chan? Just wait till I get my hands on you..._  
He slammed open the last room on his list, her own. She was rarely found here, but there she was, lightly snoring on the bed, hanging off the side. _She was asleep before she even made it on her bed._ He walked over to her sleeping form. The anger that once was sparked at the girl was slowly being forgotten as he watched the rise and fall of her torso. Gently shifting her properly on her bed, he noticed the blood soaked towel wrapped messily around her palm and the puffiness around her eyes. _Why were you crying Rai-chan,_ he removed the towel and sealed the cuts that seemed to appear on her now battle worm hands, a_nd what did you do now, you klutz? _He reluctantly let go of her soft fingers and set them on her stomach only for her to toss and twirl into a strange ball and her leg to be once again thrown over the side of the bed. His eyebrow twitched in annoyance at the stupidity of the girl.  
He let his lips push up into the smallest of smiles as he walked out of the room, quietly shutting the door behind him. It was staring at the opposite side of the hall that brought the weight of the lack of sleep to his mind. He began to feel the dryness of his eyes, the slow rhythm of his breath and the strange tingle down his spine. _I believe I have taken more than I could chew._ With a sigh of defeat he retreated to his quarters for some needed sleep.  
Rai bolted up from her sleep in a gasp. The nightmare she was living in seemed to go one forever, repeating in her mind, over and over again. She ran her hand through her hair as she moved to the side of the bed. As the memory of her accident in the kitchen brought itself up she jolted her hand in front of her face to see her palm cut-less. _Kabuto-kun..._ Her lips pulled into a smile and she decided to wash up before searching for the medic.  
Elsewhere Kabuto was walking down a hall, the shouts of pain from his master causing him to scowl. _Should I really use Kimimaro-kun?_ Rai's smiling face as ran through his memory. The smile that she once always wore while standing near the dying man. His lips pulled back in a scowl as he walked into a large dungeon.

"Dispel." Seals on all the doors began to burn away and the captors inside pushed out like lost rats. _Only the best can be used, I will not suffice for less for Orochimaru-sama. _"All of you listen carefully. I will let you out of this prison..." Groans and moans that one could say out of happiness were called out from the prisoners. "But, only the last man standing."

He turned and left the men to do as they wish and as he strolled down the black hallway, dark thoughts crossed his mind. _ All that's left is to wake Kimimaro-kun..._  
Kabuto typed on the large machine, staring at the data of Kimimaro's status.

"Am I..." Kimimaro called out softly.

"We have already procured your successor. He has the same power as your Earth Seal, but he has been given the Heaven Seal and like you he also possess a bloodline," the medic let out a chuckle of sinistral tone, "I wonder who is stronger."

The beeping on the monitor began to jump from it's rhythmic pace. Just as Kabuto predicted, Kimimaro reacted to the statement.  
After a few silent moments, and as the beeping settled down, Kimimaro finally spoke up.

"Kabuto-sensei... How much longer will I live?"

That question seemed to sting Kabuto a little more than he would have liked. He had planned this day for quite some time now, but guilt was beginning to eat at him more and more. "You shouldn't talk anymore."

"Humans... Do humans have a purpose when they are born?"

Kabuto's fingers flinched at the question. _"I wonder... do we have a purpose when we are born?" She paused for a moment, "do you believe your purpose in life is worth dying for?"_

Kimimaro continued on, "I have been wondering recently... Because they are born, do they have an important duty?"

Kimimaro walked along a small stream, Rai following behind him in silence. The fog was very thick around them and the small girl was clearly terrified. Kimimaro kept a brave face on for her, though it was much easier than he would have thought. Ever since that brutal day, Rai had not moved from his side. Kimimaro wasn't sure whether he should be happy or sad about how it all turned out. He looked back at her as she crouched in front of the stream bed and this warm feeling filled his chest. Her staying by his side through so much, it confused him so much. But, in the back of his young mind, he was beginning to realize what he wanted in life, what he had been waiting for in that cold cage. He noticed a small white flower, standing alone beneath a tree. The beauty of the flower hidden within the fog reminded him of Rai. He wandered over and plucked it from the earth.

"The meaning of being born... for humans to find that answer... it is the one freedom God gave them."

Kabuto stared at the blinking lights, his own memories passing by his eyes, "I understand what you're trying to say. It's true Orochimaru-sama is suffering. He's never been in such a critical situation. But I'll say this clearly... What can you do now? You have lost your value of a container. A new container is on it's way here. But it's too late now."

Kabuto watched on the small screen as Orochimaru transferred into his new body. Time for waiting for Sasuke was up and it was his last choice.

"You're right. My body has lost it's value as a container. For somebody like me, who has lost everything, finding my purpose would be difficult. I have finally realized that." Kimimaro began to rise out of his bed, ripping the seal and the tubes from his body. "Even if it's not going to be me, I will retrieve the new container. Even if it costs me my life. That's my thanks to Orochimaru-sama. That is my way of repaying for my uselessness. And..."


	9. Sacrifices

Sine I've been horrible with my deadlines... For this story I have decided to do a bonus week...I shall be putting this chapter up and another on the normal time (Sunday) .,.. I hope you enjoy the 2nd last chapter! :D

speech  
_thoughts  
_memories_  
_

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When Rai was finished and finally on the hunt for Kabuto to apologize she had noticed that it was going to be morning soon enough. _I can't believe I slept for 24 hours... Kabuto-kun is going to murder me!_  
The girl wandered the halls, passing by a few useless grunts and many dark hallways. She noticed that even the Sound Four were no where in sight.

"I wonder if they left on that mission Kidomaru-san was telling me about."

After finding nobody and the lab being locked Rai decided to begin her daily duties of cleaning. As much as she hated the role, it didn't bother her as much these days. With Kabuto's training a lot of her pent up frustrations were released. Also now with the Sound Four gone, it would be a breeze.  
That was until a couple hours later when she strolled into the dungeon to find all the prisoners dead and the place covered in blood. Rai stood with her pale yellow eye twitching furiously at the site. It wasn't the first time that she's had to clean up a massacre but Kabuto had normally gave her a heads up. Her head turned up to a small little square off to the side of the wall.

"Dammit Kabuto-kun! I know you're there you piece of shit! I'm going to kill you!"

Kabuto stared into the small screen with a half smile on his lips. The speakers echoed from her threats and he couldn't help but chuckle as she muttered more colourful words. He felt a light amount of guilt from not warning her but he couldn't help but pay her back for falling asleep during training.

"Such a small girl, and yet, such a foul mouth. What are you doing Kabuto-kun?"

Kabuto flinched at the cold voice behind him.

"I was making sure the girl continued with her duties."

Orochimaru grinned as he watched the smile on his medic's face instantly wash away with his presence. It was hard for him to miss, when Kabuto wasn't following his orders he was spending all of his time with that girl.

"Where is Kimimaro-kun?"

"He left to retrieve your container, Orochimaru-sama."

"But that boy... I'm surprised he was able to move with that body." _Did he have a double reason to send him? _"I don't know what kind of order you gave him, but it seems kind of cruel."

Kabuto walked over to another table and poured a steaming pot of tea into two cups, "No, no. An order? I don't like to _force_ people to do things. He moved on his own will..."

Orochimaru noticed the zoned pause that took over Kabuto's train of thought.

"Even if it's not going to be me, I will retrieve the new container. Even if it costs me my life. That's my thanks to Orochimaru-sama. That is my way of repaying for my uselessness. And... for saving Rai-chan."

This caught the medic off guard and his interest. He had always thought Orochimaru wanted the girl. He turned to look over the hunched boy.

"After joining Orochimaru-sama, Rai-chan began to doubt Orochimaru-sama's ways. She would never say it to his face but she had hated him inside and out," he paused for a moment, as if her were recollecting his own thoughts. 

"One day she didn't bite her tongue and enraged Orochimaru-sama. He was almost killing her," his voice began to strain, "I had to beg for her life and that's when I made the promise to be his container if he kept her alive. When I lost my worth of being Orochimaru-sama's container, I lost my will. If she hadn't been by my side this whole time, I would have given up days ago. That's why I must do this now, Kabuto-sensei."

The boy pushed himself off the bed and walked to the door.

"Don't hurt her Kabuto-sensei."

"For the person he worships... for you."

"Kabuto, you really have a nasty personality."

"Orochimaru-sama, Kimimaro-kun was a perfect existence for you. His ideal was the same as yours, dyed with darkness. And he saw you as a God and frantically worshipped you. Furthermore he was from a clan that possessed the most perfect and strongest bodies of all. He even had a bloodline limit. But that was how he was a short while ago."

"Yes. Losing him still frustrates me. I still believe... He is the man I wanted from the bottom of my heart. It was his body I desired the most. Kimimaro."

Rai stared into the room beneath the shadows with wide-eyes. _He... He left, just for Orochimaru... That idiot!_ The girl bit her lip and took off in a run, tears running down her face in a frenzy. She tried so hard to convince him deep down. She had spent days talking to his unconscious form. Staying by his side for hours even though he had no idea she was there. It gave Rai a sort comfort to stay by his side, just as she did when they were little. As a child she would sneak out of the tent at night to sleep against the cage bars. Even nights when Kimimaro had no idea. How, at this moment, she wished she could go back to those days. Be a child again, spending all hours talking about adventures and dreams with Kimimaro. _Now, now it's gone. All because of that sick bastard Orochimaru._

"Damn you Orochimaru!" She screamed against the bed Kimimaro was held in. "Damn you, you snake bastard!"

She broke down and cried on the cold floor of the lab. She had finally reached her breaking point.  
Kabuto turned his head at the sounds of running footsteps. _Rai-chan... _His eyes glared into the shadows of the doorway. Orochimaru smirked under the bandages.

"What will you do now Kabuto-kun?"

Kabuto bit his lip at the words of the bandaged man in front of him. He turned and walked out of the room, Orochimaru snickering to himself at the events playing out.

"Even if things will not always work out the way I want them. Sometimes, the missing pieces are just as amusing," the snake spoke to himself as he began to cackle a menacing laugh.

The medic walked down the halls in a hurry, trying to catch up to Rai before she did something reckless. _That stupid girl. Always sticking her nose into business that isn't hers. _He turned into his lab to hear the cries of the girl. All anger was gone and he found himself crouching down with a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her.

"Rai-chan."

"He-He left! After all these years he just left! And for what? A lying snake!"

His eyes glared at the disrespectful way she talked about Orochimaru. He held his tongue for the time being.

"You shouldn't blame yourself Rai-chan. He was a fool to leave you behind."

Rai looked up into black orbs behind a shield of glass. Once again, Kimimaro had hurt her and Kabuto was there to pick up her pieces.

"Why are you always there when I need somebody Kabuto-kun?"

He just looked at her pleading eyes for a couple moments before standing up.

"You should get off the cold ground," he helped her up and walked over to shut the machines off.

Rai noticed how he tried to avoid the topic she brought up. She couldn't help but keep it going, she needed that comfort, no matter where it came from. She needed that feeling that she was needed. She pushed herself into Kabuto until his back hit the machine. His eyes were wide as he was caught off-guard and was confused as to why she was acting this way. Her eyes had water on the rims and had a stare of desperation. Kabuto could see the wild gaze behind them, an almost animalistic craze.

"He wasn't the fool for leaving me. I was the fool for not leaving him."

This was the result of his plans. This is what Kabuto had wanted from the beginning, to take the girl from Kimimaro. A girl that any true medic would kill to have. The solution to any illness and the ability to kill without a trace. She was the perfect ninja herself. If only she could focus and have complete control of plain chakra herself.

"You are the perfect killing tool Rai-chan."

The girl froze, stepping back from Kabuto. Her whole body was still trembling.

"...What?"

"You can kill without a single trace. You can erase the trail and the body itself. Any medic or assassin would kill for your technique. It's impossible to obtain it though, your body would kill anything who messed around carelessly. Did you know that Rai-chan?"

She watched Kabuto in confusion, he hid his face as he moved from lab table to lab table. Writing on paper, adding liquids to bottles and tablets in others.

"N-No."

Kabuto held a tube of red liquid. It was sealed for emergencies one he kept by for him or Orchimaru-sama. This stinging pain was swirling around in his stomach. Guilt churning his inside. _You're too dangerous for any medic or assassin to use Rai-chan. You're too pure to be here..._

"Rai-chan, did you know that if you were trained enough you could bring a recently dead man back to life?"

"What?"

Rai's mind was spinning, she didn't have the slightest idea about her technique, only that it had similarities to an acid and stopped her from being sick or poisoned. Kabuto grasped the tube tightly.

"Of course you are very far away from being able to do that now... but... I think there is a chance."

"A chance for what Kabuto-kun? What are you talking about? Why are you explaining all of this to me now?"

Kabuto grabbed all of his notes and all of the slabs of experiments he had resulted with the girl. He tossed it into a bin, his eyes glaring death at it all. This was going against all of his beliefs and it was destroying all of his hard work and planning. He tossed a match into and the bin set a flames. Everything slowly melting and turning to ash. To be removed from this world. Rai flinched at the deadly and cold stare she received from the medic. Her pale yellow eyes flickered from the bin to the cold black orbs of the medic. She could feel the colour in her face drain and she knew that she probably looked half dead herself.

"As of now your technique no longer exists. If I have to tell you again I don't think I could hold myself to let you leave."

"Kabuto-kun..."


	10. The Truth

Alrighty, this is the final chapter of the cleaning lady :)  
I really enjoyed writing this very much, and I really like how it turned out :)  
Please enjoy and let me know what you thought :D  
speech  
_thoughts_  
memories  
p.s i put extra spaces between pov's cause i switched it up quite a bit throughout this chapter.

* * *

Kimimaro's final blow was blocked by a wall of sand. A new piece of trash had blocked his path to serving Orochimaru-sama.

"Sabaku no Gaara... As your name implies, I assume you use sand."

He watched as the sand poured out of the large gourd that was on the new opponents back. _He has a strong sand based defence. He's not gonna be a close ranged fighter. _He lifted his hand and Gaara noticed the slow movements and sent an attack of sand. Kimimaro jumped out of the way sending a set of bone bullets out of his fingers. Kimimaro had to do a series of jumps, twists and dodges to avoid the strikes of sand from Gaara. During this he tried to send miniature attacks to test his skills. _Defensive and Offensive. He can both attack and defend using his sand? But, the volume of sand he can control is probably limited to the amount in that gourd. _He jumped out of the way from a few more strikes, as he tried to jump away again his feet were stuck to the ground.

"As long as I have sand, I can do anything. You're the one who is a fool!"

It wasn't long before Kimimaro was subdued and blanketed in sand. Gaara closed his fist to finish off the bone user.

"Looking at him reminds me of that guy. Uchiha Sasuke. They have the same eyes."

"Same eyes?" Lee questioned.

"Eyes that wish to prove the worth of their existence."

Kimimaro sat in the sand coffin as the life in his body began drain. He was sick, and weakening, 3 battles after one another was too much for him to take. The orange lines of his Earth Seal began to spread over his body. _Fighting... Fighting is the only thing I can do now. _The wounded man pushed his hand through the sand, slowly crawling out the death trap. Gaara noticed the patches of skin missing from around the boy, the lines of blood dripping down him.

"If I hadn't made these masks under my skin, I would have been crushed."

Lee flinched back at the jaw bones that shifted when the boy talked.

"Those bones, he's a monster."

"What a troublesome body."

Vivid green eyes narrowed at the two boys standing before him.

"Monster? Troublesome? I used to believe that about myself as well. Well, I underestimated you, bu tI will not be caught by your sand again."

Gaara steadied himself and did a small string of hand signs. He focused his chakra and the sand from the ground began to rush out of the ground like tsunami wave. Kimimaro took a step back in surprise at the massive wave. He tried and tried to jump out of the way but the sand was fast, it caught him and the massive weight buried him once again. As much as he tried to push himself out the top the sand just spread over him, dragging him down again and again. _Dammit, I can't lose like this. Rai-chan._

"A-Amazing. You did it-"

"No. Not yet."

Vibrations went through the sand, more and more pressure was put on Kimimaro. The guy still managed to hold on, if just barely. _I'm, I'm still alive. If I'm alive that means I still have a reason to live._ Images of the small girl went through his head. It flashed between her as a child, and the images of her at the base. Guilt washed over the dying man as he began to activate his Level 2 Seal. _For so long I have treated her wrong. _As his body turned into a dinosaur like form, he managed to crawl his way out of the sand.

Rai packed pouches of weapons and scrolls and a bag of her clothes. She wasn't sure what Kabuto was talking about, but there was no way she could just let Kimimaro go and get himself killed. _Hang on Kimimaro-kun._ She grasped the small vile in her hand and held on tight. She paused at the doorway to take one last look in the dark, stone room. Somewhere in the depths of her heart, she would miss this place. She turned to leave when she ran into something. She looked up to see cold black eyes.

"Kabuto-kun!"

"If it's too late... I want you to return. If you make it one time. You must never come back. Not even close, you will run to the farthest corner you can."

"Kabuto-kun..."

He rested his palm against her cheek and closed his eyes.

"Now leave before I change my mind."

Rai nodded and ran off down the hall, not slowing down, not turning back, she ran as fast as she could until she was out of the base. Even then she never looked back. This was what she had to do and she will not allow Kabuto's sacrifices to be made in vain. _Go south toward Konoha and I should notice the battles or run into Kimimaro himself. _Tears were welling up into her eyes as she tried to fit everything together. It seemed it was all going by so fast. All she wanted was time to slow down, so she had enough time to save him.

"Tessenka no Mai!"

Kimimaro crouched down and pulled on his spine, tearing it from his own back. The look on Gaara's and Lee's face was absolute disgust and shock. He whiped the column of bone around and wrapped it around Gaara and his shield of sand.

"Flower!" A sharp bone began to push out of the palm of Kimimaro's hand and the blade on his forearm began to grow and twirl. Eventually growing into a large spiral spear over his arm. "This is the thickest bone in my body. It'll easily pierce through your sand defence."

He coughed up blood as he spoke, his body was beginning to tremble lightly as well. _I don't have much time left..._ As Kimimaro got himself together, Gaara put up an extra layer of defence, his ultimate Shuukaku Shield. The large fat, cat/raccoon type body sprung up from the ground and wrapped around the spine that held onto Gaara. The sand animal stood like a wall in between the two fighters. Kimimaro jammed the spear into the animal and began to pierce his way through the ultimate sand defence. Slowly inch by inch, he pushed it through the sand, as he pushed in, Gaara used his chakra to keep the spear from cutting through. _I will not give up. I cannot break my promise anymore. I will do this for her. _Cracks began to form, and sickening crunching sounds could be heard... Soon enough, the thickest and most reliable weapon Kimimaro had, just shattered like glass.

"You... That special jutsu... It's a Bloodline Limit right?" Gaara questioned.

"The Kaguya Clan's... Now it's my ability alone."

"You're the last of your clan? Then the last of your clan will be finished off here and now."

"That may happen. Because of my illness, I don't have much time. But... I will not be destroyed... because I am not alone."

"You're not alone?"

"That's right. As a life that protects Orochimaru-sama's ambitions, I will remain in his heart forever."

"Is that Orochimaru's brainwashing? You're pathetic."

Gaara put up a seal and the sand around Kimimaro's feet began to pool down and suck him underneath. Further and further, Kimimaro was dragged under the sand. He just waited to finish sinking. There was no need to fight it. He was not going to give up yet. He had a promise to finish.

"Sawarabi no Mai!"

Kimimaro sat calm underneath the ground as bone spikes began to pierce through the ground, searching for their targets. _I will never leave Rai-chan again._ The more he realized that it was never Orochimaru that he truly fought for, the faster the spike came out of the ground, the more furious he began to feel. Gaara used his sand to carry both him and Lee above the height of the spikes, and in safety for now. He had reached his limits, and his chakra would give out at any time.

"Rai-chan... Please forgive me..."

"He was stubborn, but he won't be coming up again." Gaara hissed in pain as his limit came closer and closer to being passed. "I'm at my limit. We're going down."

"What are you doing Kimimaro? Hurry up and go!"

Kimimaro stood in front of his father as the rest of the two clans ran off to battle.

"But what should I do?" He asked the older man.

His father stood bold, proud in front of him. His eyes itching for a fight.

"You don't have to think much about it. Go and kill everybody from the Mist Village." He began to chuckle menacingly. "You should just act on your instincts."

_Instincts...?_ It was if his instincts, his father's blood had pushed him past death and to move on. He began to push himself into the bone and bring himself up and out of the sand grave.

"It was never Orochimaru's brainwashing!" Kimimaro used the last of his strength to point another spear at Gaara's back. "There is a person... One who looked passed the monster inside of me! What would you know about love!"

He pushed his arm forward and froze, right before striking through Gaara's skull.

Kabuto watched the dying candle flame flicker for all of it's might. His mind was so preoccupied that he ignored the words Orochimari was speaking. When the flame finally died, Kabuto had a heavy feeling push on his heart. _Did, did he actually..._

Rai pushed through the trees into a large clearing. She froze in shock at the sight of the battle field. The entire place was filled with bone sticking out of the ground. A sudden fear of realization struck and her body went into a panic. She jumped around, looking through the graveyard for a particular body.

"Kimimaro-kun! Kimimaro!"

Her screams and shouts were strained as tears rushed out and it began to become hard to breath. Her head whipped left and right until her yellow eyes landed on a half body suspended in the air. She ran over to examine it.

"Ki-Kimimaro?"

She stood on a bone in front of him and held her hand over his heart. Blood dripped from his mouth down to the ground. She couldn't breath, she couldn't think, she was frozen. _I'm, I'm too late... H-He's dead. _She began to panic and shake his shoulders, his arm and head dropped and he hung there out of the bone.

"No! You can't do this to me!" She grasped the body and began to sob on his shoulder. "Y-You promised me..."

"With enough training, you could even bring back a recently dead man. No that you're anywhere close to that."

A sudden hope found itself inside Rai as Kabuto's words rang through her mind. She fumbled around in the pouches until she pulled out the syringe Kabuto had prepared. She took the cap off and looked at the instrument.

"Now, when you get to him, insert the syringe directly into his heart. It should be only a few inches to the left of his seal and a few centimetres down." Kabuto pointed on him, where Kimimaro's heart would be. "Now, with it directly in his heart, your blood should be able to pulse through fast enough from there that there is a high chance it will eat away the virus and save his organs from further damage."

Rai just nodded, still slightly bewildered at all the information Kabuto was pushing into her head.

"Now, this isn't going to be a permanent heal. If this works you will have to do this a few more times. Here are some extra cartridges for you to collect blood."

Rai took the syringe in her mouth and dropped down to the ground. She set her palms to the ground and in second the graveyard began to disintegrate and melt out of existence. Soon enough Kimimaro's body broke off and he sprawled out in front of Rai. She quickly rolled him over, pushing all of her emotions, and fears back long enough to properly follow the directions Kabuto had given her.

"Alright Kimimaro-kun... You better get through this. I can't lose you!"

She jammed the syringe into his chest and pushed the blood into his own heart. Nothing happened, he just laid there stiff. A random idea popped into her mind and she began to push his chest, pumping it as the heart would. Every so often she would blow air into his lungs. This went on for a few minutes before she began to choke on her own tears and she just couldn't do it anymore. Everything they had fought through, had fought for... it was all a waste. He threw it all away for a worthless snake. Rai could hear footsteps from behind her and she gasped before umped up and holding a defensive position. Two boys stood there, looking as if they had seen a ghost.

"Wh-Who are you!" She called out.

"What ha-happened to the bones?"

She narrowed her eyes at the two.

"You're the ones who killed Kimimaro-kun?"

"You work for Orochimaru as well?" Gaara questioned.

Rai scuffed and put her one hand into a seal, "As if I would follow that snakes order's. I'm here for Kimimaro-kun."

Lee just stood, baffled at everything that was happening. Gaara stared into her eyes, remembering something.

"Your... the one Kimimaro truly fought for. The one who saw past the monster inside of him?"

"Tsh, what are you babbling about, Kimimaro-kun is nothing close to a monster! And I will kill you for hurting him!"

Lee watched as the tears streamed out of her eyes. It pained him to the core to see such a girl in such pain. When she charged for Gaara, he jumped in front of her and grabbed her wrist. She growled and was gonna do something but Lee spoke up first.

"I'm truly sorry. It was not us who killed him."

"You're lying! If you didn't battle he wouldn't have strained his body so much!"

She tried to pull her arm away but Lee was stronger, her hysterics were zapping away her strength.

"He was a good man to fight for you, it was an honour to be his opponent."

Rai's head dropped down and her hair shadowed her face. Lee's looked at her confused and watched as she put her other hand onto his chest. That's when Gaara noticed her laughing. The laugh of a mentally unstable girl. One Gaara knew all too well.

"You shouldn't get close to an enemy... You never know what tricks they have up their sleeves."

"Watch out!" Gaara warned.

"Rai-chan... Stop."

The girl's eyes almost popped out of her head as a hand grasped her leg. Both Lee and Gaara gasped. Kimimaro laid there, breathing once again, holding onto her leg.

"There is no need to continue fighting... Please, just stop Rai-chan."

Rai cried out and threw Lee to the ground before she knelt down by Kimimaro's side. Lee looked down at the palm print burned through his shirt and the burn mark smoking from his own chest. Fear was the only thing in his eyes.

"Ki- Kimimaro-kun! You're, you're alive!"

"I, I don't know how but yes..."

The girl broke out into hysterics once again as she threw herself on the man. His skin was once again the normal pale colour and the bones the protruded his skin had vanished. The Earth Seal on his chest was no longer their as well.

"I'm so sorry Rai-chan... Please..."

"Shut up you jerk!"

Kimimaro smiled and wrapped his arm around her as she knelt still crying over his injured body.


End file.
